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Heartless Bastards

Heartless Bastards's Genre:

Indie Rock, Garage Punk, Alternative/Indie Rock

Biography

Anchored by the powerful vocals and incisive songwriting of Erika Wennerstrom, the Heartless Bastards are a roots rock band whose tough, emotionally resonant music incorporates elements of blues, hard rock, garage punk and country as filtered through tales of a hardscrabble life lived in the American Midwest. Erika Wennerstrom was born in Dayton, Ohio; her parents broke up when she was nine, leaving her mother to support her and her brother. Wennerstrom grew up with a keen interest in music and songwriting, but it wasn't until she was 18 that she summoned the courage to begin singing in public after she'd dropped out of school, left Dayton, and settled in Cincinnati. Wennerstrom picked up a guitar, began writing songs, and started performing at open mike nights and for family and friends, and in 2002 she decided to form a band. Taking the name "The Heartless Bastards" from an incorrect answer on a multiple choice trivia game (the question: what is the name of Tom Petty's backing band), Wennerstrom cut a demo tape late in the year with a handful of local musicians, including guitarist Reuben Glaser, bassist Jesse Ebaugh, and drummer Dave Colvin. In the summer of 2003, the Heartless Bastards began playing out with a lineup that featured Wennerstrom on vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Mike Weinel on guitar, Adam McAllister on bass, and Colvin on drums. This edition of the band proved short-lived, but the group found a stable lineup when Wennerstrom met bassist Mike Lamping. As Wennerstrom gained confidence in her skills on electric guitar, she and Lamping reintroduced the Heartless Bastards as a power trio with the addition of drummer Kevin Vaughn. The Bastards began playing regularly throughout Ohio and the Midwest, and when Patrick Carney of the Black Keys saw the band at a small club, he liked what he heard and passed along a copy of their demo to Fat Possum Records, the Black Keys' label at the time. Fat Possum liked the demo and signed the Heartless Bastards, releasing their first album, Stairs and Elevators, in 2005. A second album, All This Time, followed in 2006, and the Heartless Bastards were earning enthusiastic notices from critics and found themselves sharing stages with the likes of Wilco and Lucinda Williams. However, Wennerstrom and Lamping had become romantically involved, and when they broke up, they found it too difficult to work together, so Wennerstrom opted to fold this lineup of the group. She relocated to Austin, Texas and recorded a third Heartless Bastards album, The Mountain, using a handful of session musicians. When it came time to tour behind the album, she recruited Jesse Ebaugh and Dave Colvin, who had played on her first demos, to play in the new version of the band. The trio expanded to a quartet with the addition of guitarist Mark Nathan, who originally signed on as the band's soundman. In 2011, this edition of the Heartless Bastards went into the studio with Spoon percussionist Jim Eno serving as producer; the group's fourth album, Arrow, was released by Partisan Records in early 2012. ~ Mark Deming

AOL Radio Stations Heartless Bastards is Featured on (11)

Hangout Music Fest 2012

The Hangout Music Festival is the first and only festival of its kind. Located directly on white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama and surrounded by palm trees, the Festival treats guests to a unique festival experience and consistently features a diverse selection of top touring artists. Hangout Music Fest Radio on Slacker features all of the artists performing at the festival from mega-acts like Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jack White to diverse indie favorites including Flogging Molly, M. Ward, Young The Giant and Delta Spirit.

Save Me, San Francisco

This is the Train Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune-in to hear music hand-picked by each of the members of Train as well as commentary about the songs that influenced their music and his lives.

Beale St. Music Festival 2013

The 2013 Beale Street Music Festival marks the 37th anniversary of the festival which each year attracts music enthusiasts from all 50 states and a dozen foreign countries to the storied city where rock-n-roll and blues music all began. Beale St. Music Festival 2013 on Slacker features all of the artists from this year's amazing lineup including headliners like The Black Keys and Alice in Chains, plus everything from Sheryl Crow to Big Boi

Lollapalooza 2013

After a month of leaks and speculation, Lollapalooza has released their official lineup! The fest is set for August 2-4 in Chicago's Grant Park and will feature The Cure, Mumford & Sons, the Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, New Order, Kendrick Lamar, Vampire Weekend, The Postal Service, Queens of the Stone Age, and hundreds more. Your Slacker curators will be providing on-site coverage. In the meantime, hear the whole lineup here!

Dive Bar Jukebox

You walk through the doors and you know. This is it. The perfect dive bar. A cool crowd, great beers on tap and, above all, the perfect jukebox for a true music geek. Classic Rock, Classic Country, a lil' bit of Soul and the most important Indie Rock of all-time make this jukebox your all-time favorite. Welcome to Dive Bar Jukebox on Slacker Radio.

Indie Hits

Indie Hits on Slacker Radio is popular music for those that don't believe in Pop music. You'll hear what is buzzing the blogs and burning up the college charts. Enjoy the latest and greatest tunes from the pioneers of the modern Indie music scene as well as the new and lesser known Indie bands making their way onto your scene.

The Current

The Current brings you the best authentic new music alongside the music that inspired it, from unique to universal, indie to influential, new to nostalgic. Broadcasting from the musical hotbed that is Minnesota, listen to The Current and you’ll see why we say, “Great Music Lives Here.” Find playlist, interviews and more at thecurrent.org.

Soft Rock

Soft Rock on Slacker is a true rock station that showcases the lighter, more contemplative side of the biggest names in rock-n-roll. No sappy love ballads or lame pop songs here...just great soft rock from Coldplay, U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer, Snow Patrol, Dave Matthews Band, Train, and more!

Indie

Indie on Slacker Radio is actually a showcase of many different genres, all unified by a common spirit and ethos. Call it College Rock, Post-Punk, Pre-Emo, Indie Rock, Twee Pop, Riot Grrl; call it whatever you like. Just know that all the music on the Indie station is created with the same independent spirit. Hear indie music spanning from the late 70's up until now.

Heartless Bastards's Selected Discography (8)

Artists Related to Heartless Bastards (50)

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	Yeah Yeah Yeahs	Discovered in the wake of the Strokes' popularity and the subsequent garage rock revival, New York's art punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are comprised of singer Karen O, guitarist Nicolas Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase.
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	The Decemberists	Led by Montana native Colin Meloy, the Decemberists craft theatrical, hyper-literate pop songs that draw heavily from late-'60s British folk acts like Fairport Convention and Pentangle and the early-'80s college rock grandeur of the Waterboys and R.
	Delta Spirit	After the San Diego-based emo outfit Noise Ratchet called it quits in 2004, co-founders Jon Jameson (bass) and Brandon Young (drums) decided to ditch their punk-influenced sound for something more rootsy.
	Dan Auerbach	As frontman of the Black Keys, vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach embraced the raw sound of electric blues-rock alongside drummer Pat Carney.
	The Raveonettes	Combining the noisy swells of the Jesus and Mary Chain with melodic elements of '50s rock & roll, the Raveonettes formed in Copenhagen during the early 2000s.
	The Kills	The bluesy punk duo the Kills consist of vocalist/guitarist VV, aka Alison Mosshart, formerly of the Florida punk band Discount, and drummer/guitarist/vocalist Hotel, aka Jamie Hince.
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	TV On The Radio	The Brooklyn-based group TV on the Radio mix post-punk, electronic, and other atmospheric elements in such a creative way that it only makes sense that their core duo, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Andrew Sitek, are both visual artists as well as musicians.
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	Neko Case	Alternative country singer/songwriter Neko Case won a steadily growing cult audience for her smoky, sophisticated vocals and the downcast beauty of her music.
	Fleet Foxes	Seattle's Fleet Foxes are led by vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold, who fashioned his band's earthy, harmony-rich sound in honor of such perennial '60s artists as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Zombies, and the Beach Boys.
	The Strokes	Equally inspired by classic tunesmiths like Buddy Holly and John Lennon and the street-smart attitude and angular riffs of fellow New Yorkers Television and the Velvet Underground, the Strokes were also equally blessed and cursed with an enormous amount of hype -- particularly from the U.
	Dr. Dog	The Philadelphia-based Dr. Dog are part of a long tradition of D.I.Y. pop oddballs who blend unapologetic '60s pop worship with lo-fi recording techniques and an apparent disregard for current trends.
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	My Morning Jacket	Starting in the late ‘90s and throughout the 2000s and 2010s, My Morning Jacket expanded on their rock and country roots, embracing everything from neo-psychedelia to funk, prog, and reggae in their sonic experimentation.
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	The Shins	A classic guitar pop group almost nine years in the making, Albuquerque, New Mexico's the Shins began in 1997 as the side project of singer/songwriter and guitarist James Mercer's primary band, Flake.
	Vampire Weekend	Describing their sound as "Upper West Side Soweto," New York City's Vampire Weekend mix preppy, well-read indie rock with joyful, Afro-pop-inspired melodies and rhythms.
	The Avett Brothers	The Avett Brothers' music has roots in traditional folk and bluegrass, but also captures the high spirits and no-boundaries attitude of rock & roll -- which is appropriate, since rock is where Scott Avett and Seth Avett first cut their teeth as musicians.
	Wilco	Wilco rose from the ashes of the seminal roots rock band Uncle Tupelo, which disbanded in 1994. While Jay Farrar, one of the group's two singer/songwriters, went on to form Son Volt, his ex-partner Jeff Tweedy established Wilco along with the remaining members of Tupelo's final incarnation, which included drummer Ken Coomer as well as part-time bandmates John Stirratt (bass) and Max Johnston (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and lap steel).
	Chairlift	Hailing from Brooklyn, New York (by way of Boulder, Colorado, where they originally came together in 2006), the avant-pop outfit Chairlift formed for the unusual purpose of crafting music for haunted houses.
	Iron & Wine	Singer/songwriter Samuel Beam, who rose to prominence with a blend of whispered vocals and softly homespun indie folk, chose the moniker Iron & Wine after coming across a dietary supplement named "Beef Iron & Wine" while working on a film.
	The Walkmen	The Walkmen feature three members from Jonathan FireEater and two from the Recoys. When Jonathan FireEater disbanded in 1998, the group took the remainder of their Dreamworks funding and established an uptown rehearsal space in New York City that doubled as a 24-track recording studio where they use a wide variety of vintage equipment.
	Kings of Leon	Initially embraced as "the Southern Strokes" for their resurrection and reinvention of Dixie-styled rock & roll, Kings of Leon steadily morphed themselves into an experimental rock outfit during the 2000s.
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	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club	The seed that became Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- or BRMC for short -- was planted in 1995, when Robert Levon Been (aka Robert Turner) and Peter Hayes met while attending high school in San Francisco.
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	Interpol	Although formed during the late '90s, Interpol rose to international attention in 2002 as part of New York City's post-punk revival.
	Peter Bjorn and John	Peter Bjorn and John formed in 1999 in Stockholm, Sweden, comprised of members Peter Morén on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Björn Yttling on vocals, bass, and keyboards; and John Eriksson on drums, percussion, and vocals.
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	The National	Although formed during the post-punk revival of the late '90s, the National took inspiration from a wider set of influences, including country-rock, Americana, indie rock, and Brit-pop.
	Ra Ra Riot	Combining indie rock with chamber pop flourishes (courtesy of a small string section), Ra Ra Riot formed while the band's six members were attending college in Syracuse, New York.
	Los Campesinos!	Celebrating a bratty, tongue-in-cheek viewpoint and a spunky indie punk style similar to Art Brut while applying an assortment of instruments akin to Architecture in Helsinki, the seven-piece group Los Campesinos! (a Spanish name that roughly translates to "the Peasants") formed in 2006 in Cardiff, Wales.
	Gomez	Gomez are a five-piece British act consisting of Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitar), Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Paul Blackburn (bass, guitar), Olly Peacock (drums), and Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica).